The New York Times is tracking the human toll of the conflict in this feature. The primary source is the online video that has allowed a widening war to be documented like no other, and posts try to put the video into context.
Edited by Liam Stack

Videos posted online claimed to show victims of a chemical attack near Damascus. The United States has said the use of chemical weapons in Syria could provoke a Western military response, but saw no evidence of their use on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, both rebels and the government accused each other of using chemical weapons in the towns of Khan al-Assal near Aleppo, and Ateibeh near Damascus. Neither side produced proof of their claims. This video is said to show victims of a chemical attack in Ateibeh. One was dead but the others were alive, including one man in military fatigues breathing oxygen from a tank. One of the survivors said he saw "a missile" and the cameraman called the scene in Ateibeh "a new massacre."

This video in context

What We Know

Ateibeh is in Eastern Ghouta, a rebellious region outside Damascus that the government has heavily bombed during Syria's two-year-old conflict. While the men in this video are injured, none of them are injured from a chemical attack and none of the men appear to be burned.

What We Don't Know

There is little clear information about the possible use of chemical weapons on Tuesday. Both the government and the rebels accused each other of using them, but neither side produced proof. We do not know for sure that either side used the weapons, and if they did, we do not know what they were.

Other Videos

This video is also said to show a chemical attack victim in Ateibeh being treated in a clinic. This clip from Syrian state television claims to show victims of a chemical attack by rebels in the town of Khan al-Assal outside of Aleppo.